Inuyasha Manga: 275 Bankotsu's Strength

Frankly, even if an explanation for that enormous strength is forthcoming in the next chapter or two, I doubt it will be satisfying. If it's not "surprise, he was a youkai all along" it'll likely be some flaccid handwave dismissal of the issue. So, I'm trying not to be too invested in it, even though it is really the only thing I've been consistently wondering about throughout the whole arc. I'll distract myself, by building my OWN strength! My husband and I have been riding our bikes every Sunday for the past month, and I've been able to go farther every time. Getting slowly back into shape is exciting, right?

Not as exciting as waving around an unnecessarily large halberd without rhyme or reason, but still...

Why do I get the feeling that Bankotsu doesn't have to say his prayers QUITE yet?

Bankotsu holds up his bloodied fist and calls Inuyasha a bastard, almost seeming OFFENDED that Inuyasha is going for all his Shikon shards. As if it's somehow UNFAIR in a fight to the death to take away an opponent's additive advantages. Inuyasha confirms that he fully intends to rip out those Shikon fragments one by one, but Bankotsu just smirks, cracking the joints in his upheld fingers. I'm getting whiplash from this guy's instantaneous change of attitude all the time.

Inuyasha thrusts a claw at Bankotsu, who calmly leans out of its way. Then...

Knocked back with a force that makes you skid to a stop a good distance away, with an INJURED hand? How embarrassing. 

Bankotsu tells the hanyou not to belittle him, referring to himself in the highest possible esteem in the process. He brags that there's no way he'd have been the head of the Shichinin-tai just for fun. It's his skills alone that he gives credit for his ability to manage the band of mercenaries before he was even resurrected with the Shikon shards, as he runs at Inuyasha again with his raised fist. I mean, sure, I could be convinced that he's skilled at leading a team. But I'm still bumping up against the fact of that sword being too heavy for other humans to lift. Not even the BODYBUILDER lifestyle could explain that shit.

Inuyasha manages to dodge the next punch Bankotsu aims at him, but he's blindsided by another one literally IMMEDIATELY.

Sure leaning pretty heavily on those Shikon shards in the present, though, aren't you?

As debris clatters down around the downed Inuyasha, Bankotsu scoffs that he got the sucker. Inuyasha winces, a large welt formed on the whole right side of his face, but it's not for nothing. He's mutters about how Bankotsu must have put some in his left arm too. He stands and tells Bankotsu that his style is surprisingly easy to understand, despite how sardonic and pompous Bankotsu is coming across. Probably because Bankotsu's "style" so closely resembles his own, if I had to guess. Bankotsu gets the gist, suggesting that Inuyasha is saying he let himself be hit as a little test. Once again, Bankotsu makes a run for Inuyasha with his fist raised, wondering out loud if Inuyasha will take his Shikon fragments first, or if he'll twist of Inuyasha's head instead. Bloody and bruised, Inuyasha just glares at him out of one eye.

Narrow darkness transition panel? With a rumble sound effect. We see the pathway around the pit in the mountain, with the section that Miroku and Sango formerly stood upon gouged out of it. Somewhere else, presumably further down, Hiraikotsu is sticking out of the side of the pit, the lower half of it obscured.

Don't know if the angle from the former panel really would have been able to hide THIS, but whatevz.

Sango calls down into the pit if Miroku is okay, to where he's hanging with the rope she's holding down wrapped around his fist. They must both have joints of fucking STEEL to not have their arms dislocated or broken right now. Miroku answers that he's just about okay, whatever that means, and takes a moment to glance down below him, noting a whole hill of youkai corpses collected at the bottom of the pit. He calls up to Sango to try coming down, a no doubt challenging process that is not shown.

The next we see of the two is when they're walking at the bottom of the pit, over the countless youkai bodies strewn about. Sango trails in her awe of how many there are, and Miroku sees this as confirmation that he was correct, and this is precisely where Naraku rearranged his body. The movement of a pale, fleshy, infant-like form catches their eyes off to the side, and they gape in horror at it, mostly speechless until Sango asks rhetorically what the hell it is. It's joined by a few others crawling around over the youkai corpses, just like it, prompting the comment that it's not just the ONE.

I hope that vegetable soup I had last night is enough nourishment for the next day or two, because this shit is making me lose my appetite HARDCORE.

Sango hesitantly calls these lumps of flesh, and Miroku agrees, thinking it's almost as if something is trying to be born. I know that knowledge of how conception and birth was on the scarce side back in the day, but even a cursory observation of nature should tell you THIS is not how that shit works. 

Outside the mountain, Kouga has discovered yet another entrance to the cave system, which he calls Kagome over to. She flies over on Kirara, confirming that she can feel the presence of a Shikon shard. Clearly nervous, Shippou asks Kagome from her side if they're going in there, and says they've GOT to, and FAST. Not only does she sense the fragment, but that it's becoming more and more corrupted every minute. 

Meanwhile, Inuyasha and Bankotsu are lunging for each other again.

Am I going to have to separate you two?

Inuyasha's arm seems to twinge painfully, and he internally curses for his strike losing in the simultaneous blows. In his momentary distraction, Bankotsu punches him HARD yet again. 

Getting some deja vu here.

Bankotsu sarcastically asks what the problem is again, saying he's even going out of his way to use his left arm to punch Inuyasha, claiming that should make it easier to take the Shikon fragments? To deduce they're in there, maybe, but he's already DONE that. This is less taunting and more nonsensical than anything. In any case, Inuyasha groans in response - his face is all KINDS of banged up now. Bankotsu lifts him out of the rubble by the collar and punches him AGAIN, asking if he's finished already. He drops Inuyasha on the ground, and Inuyasha falls like a sack of potatoes. A SILENT sack of potatoes. 

Complaining about what a disappointment Inuyasha is, Bankotsu says he thought the hanyou would have been stronger than this. Then Bankotsu lifts Inuyasha once more, by the throat this time, assuring him that he has no interest in torturing the weak. In fact, he has no interest in weak guys at all. Bankotsu demands that Inuyasha die, just before a "WHACK" sounds in the SFX.

Shame the shards that were helping him brutalize you before are still in his left arm, though. 

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I continue to be MAD underwhelmed by the fight between Bankotsu and Inuyasha. I don't even know if this can properly be CALLED a fight at this point. They both just keep pulling the same moves on one another, until Inuyasha just lets himself be pummeled for the sake of getting close enough to slowly take shards off Bankotsu. Nothing new or clever. It's tedious at best, if not a little upsetting watching Inuyasha get the shit kicked out of him. 

The strength of the chapter once again lies in the more interesting things happening on the periphery, more specifically, Miroku and Sango's exploration of the pit. The youkai corpses aren't exactly new either, and reminisce on the whole Kodoku situation, but those creepy little flesh-lumps? An odd mystery element that shakes things up a little, considering this is certainly NOT how Naraku's new form coagulated the last time. When they saw his face in the midst of the darkness in the pit last time, it was fully formed, and didn't even have so much as a sweatdrop to indicate effort. Clues that point to these things being somewhat separate from him. 

And the weird wriggling motion the flesh-lumps are implied to make in the chapter? Thoroughly disturbing. I always love when we can return to the horror elements in this comic.

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 333 In the Name of the Pharaoh

Guys, guys, exciting news! I have found a kindred spirit! While browsing Tumblr for some Sims 3 custom content (because I'm basic, I guess), I stumbled across a user named hopefulstarfire, who has recently started a little Yu-Gi-Oh review project much like this one. It's a podcast called "Court Jester of Games" in which they recap and give thoughts/opinions on the Yu-Gi-Oh manga. I haven't listened to all of the episodes they have up yet, but I have listened to a couple of them, and they're VERY fun! I've added their PodBean link to my list on the right side bar of the blog, so if you can, head on over an show them some love! 

I thought they couldn't fly inside the tomb? Didn't Jonouchi try that? Or is this just them being launched into the air from the erupting ground beneath them?

Never mind, there's no time! We're back with them when they're about to get another dose of pure fire, and their hands are joined in a classic sports huddle as they try to imagine the characters they saw in the tomb. Trying to really VISUALIZE them reproduced on the cartouche. Their eyes are all squeezed shut, sweatdropping with the effort. 

Yami suddenly notices the cartouche tugging around his neck, slightly inclining toward his meditating friends. I grasps the chain to pull it up and peer at the pendant, and indeed, what was once a smooth blank surface is starting to manifest some clean lines. Yami realizes that this is it - the hieroglyphs are starting to appear on the cartouche. 

Has there ever been a kid that needed his own name written down for him THIS badly? 

Zorc is still hanging out, by the way. He INSISTS he's going to shatter their dreams with his shadow power, and their pathetic attempts to save themselves ends now. He stretches out his hands once more and lets loose yet another Zorc Inferno, but literally no one is paying ANY attention to him. Yami's friends have opened their eyes to look over at him when he yanks the cartouche and its chain from his neck, holding it out to his left dramatically. 

Then, when he's pulled back the cartouche to hold it close to his chest, a vision of his pharaoh dad appears and tells him that justice is in the name of the gods. While Yami acknowledges his appearance in astonishment, his father continues by reminding him that the pharaoh is the EMBODIMENT of the gods, and instructs him to unite the three hidden gods in the name of the king. Jonouchi, Honda, Anzu and Yuugi all stare at Yami, Yuugi in particular showing the beginnings of joy as he looks at his other self. 

Awwwww, he's got lots of birdies in his name. 

Yami stands up and stumbles forward, his friends standing aside for him to step toward Zorc, to whom he announces that the seal has been broken and he finally knows his own name. Zorc yells at him that it's useless, and he should just die already, but Yami clutches the precious cartouche in his fist, meditating on it with his eyes closed himself. He prepares to declare WHO HE IS, at last.

Whew! Glad he's not the one who knocks, you know what I'm saying? 

... I've never seen that show. *awkward fidgeting*

This declaration is like a wall on which the inferno just splats dead. He's in disbelief, describing this as his attack being swallowed by the light. Meanwhile, Yuugi and friends gape at Atem, repeating this real name, Yuugi in particular awestruck that this is his other self's real name. I'm already having to repeat this guy's correct name in my head over and over just to get it right throughout the rest of the chapter. 

Suddenly, Yuugi looks down at his arm, where his Duel Disk is apparently trying to get his attention. He notes with astonishment that a few cards are flying out of the deck in there all on their own. They arrange themselves into a pyramid formation above his head, where he discovers that they are in fact the three god cards. Points of light shoot out of them and higher into the sky, attracting EVERYONE'S attention, even Zorc's. He looks up and wonders what that light is about.

Atem shouts at him in answer that this is the power of unity, allowing him to call forth the power of the gods with his friends. Zorc is actually STUTTERING, denying haltingly that Atem CAN'T, but is soon made to cringe at the erupting light around him, complaining in even more disbelief that it's breaking through his shadows. Atem commands him to gaze upon the three gods, just as authoritarian as any true king. He's really grown into this role, for sure.

Pulling out ALL those stops! And he's not even DONE. Atem immediately announces that in the name of the king (his own, of course) he's fusing all of them together into one. 

Is his her design kind of melded with the ground, or is he she just not fully manifested yet?

Not that it matters. Either way, Horakhty comes across as almost bored, despite the fact that this is the coolest fucking scene anyone could be summoned into.

Not so much as a change in expression as he she explodes Zorc. *see comments for explanation on the strike-throughs!*

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? It felt so... short. But not in a bad way, more like a CONCISE way. A vast majority of this comic is so cluttered to varying degrees with unnecessary dialog that it's a little bit of a relief to just have the pictures do the talking whenever KT chose to let them. I'm very glad that this was one of the moments he chose to just let speak for itself for the most part, because the emotions here... even though the chapter felt short, the emotions were BIG. Almost bigger than I was prepared to handle. 

Because for some reason I thought Atem learning his true name would be a SIMPLE matter. I guess it didn't occur to me, someone who has known her name and identity for her whole existence, as that big of a deal. But seeing Atem triumphantly declaring who he was to a dark adversary, using that true identity to banish that adversary, his friends marveling over this supposedly "simple" announcement in pure awe, really gave me a whole new perspective on the matter. As a moment it was so powerful that it destroyed any notion I may have had that the reveal would be a little anticlimactic; it really was anything but.

I've known what Atem's real name was since I started this blog, because by then it was just common knowledge on the internet. No avoiding spoilers when something is a good decade old. Still, it's proving difficult for me to switch after so much time calling him something else, which is the only part of this kind of situation that I'm semi-familiar with. But our main character being empowered to embrace his true identity, standing proud in the face of a malevolent force meant to destroy him makes some slightly parallel circumstances much more accessible. Granted, this declaration of true identity is less about correction and more about recollection, but perhaps if any of my readers are trans, they might let us know if the chapter resonates in any way with them. 

And I'll remind you once again to check out the podcast "Court Jester of Games" if you can spare a few minutes to listen, I'm quickly becoming a fan!

Inuyasha Manga: 274 The Two Auras

I had to look up an alternate title for this one, because the scanlation I have is called "The Two Kehais". Not only did our translator decide not to translate a word that has a few pretty close English approximations, but they stuck an "s" at the end of the word! Apparently the integrity of the Japanese language needed to be preserved here, but it's okay to modify it to indicate a plural in English. This is one of the stranger translation oddities I've seen; a weeb-flex that swerves at the last minute. Was the translator just unwilling to commit or something? Low-key bizarre.

Followed by high-key terrifying. 

Just as Miroku identifies Naraku in alarm, a crescent-shaped projectile descends on them and slams into the side of the pit close to where they stand, destroying the railing along the path. Miroku and Sango lunge to the side to avoid the attack, and Kagura smarms from above that they'll lose their heads if they look down constantly. Now Miroku calls Kagura's name as well, sense of alarm smoothly transitioning from one troubling presence to another. Sango, on the other hand, went straight back to looking down into the pit to keep an eye on Naraku, and she draws Miroku's attention to the fact that their ultimate enemy has disappeared. There's a hopeful note to Miroku's comment that Naraku is running away, even now, perhaps thinking that maybe good conclusions about Naraku's level of strength might be a bit lower than feared. 

He demands that Kagura tell him if Naraku is still "imperfect". She understandably has to ask for some clarification.

There are an AWFUL lot of assumptions at play here, Miroku, but I'm sure that you'll be revealed to be right regardless, as has precedent. 

He concludes that Naraku's goal here should be (based on his assumptions, of course) to recombine his body into a stronger configuration. Kagura drawls an apology that she hasn't been told a thing about their purpose here, given that Naraku doesn't trust her and all. She suggests that Kanna, who stands next to her quietly, should be asked instead, but asserts that Kanna won't talk. As a final suggestion, Kagura says that Miroku and Sango can determine for themselves what Naraku's deal in the mountain is, by heading below. She helpfully offers to assist, swinging her fan at them aggressively. Such a generous gesture. 

Several of her wind blades practically carve their section of the path out of the side of the pit, and it wastes no time in tipping away from the rest of the rock, Miroku and Sango sliding immediately toward the yawning abyss below.

On their way to a meeting with the boss. 

Nearby in the caves at the base of the mountain, Inuyasha is lunging forward with a battle cry, Tessaiga raised. Opposite him, Bankotsu rushes for him too, a little smirk planted on his silent mouth. They both clench their jaws as they cross swords, Bankotsu's swipe repelling them back from each other significantly. They shrink behind the broad sides of their weapons while the fire from the attack blasts them, Bankotsu casually scoffing over his dangerous oopsie-daisy, like he made a mildly embarrassing typo in a corporate presentation. 

It's raining burning rock, but that's just a little mistake, lol. 

Inuyasha continues to be frustrated, fuming about how this is going nowhere. He wishes that the jerk Bankotsu was a youkai, because that would allow him to pulverize the snot with his Bakuryuuha. But since Bankotsu is human (a fact that is not the least bit evident enough for us to remember by ourselves), that's not possible. Ah, the conveniences of merely calling your obviously demonic character a human...

As Bankotsu doesn't have any youkai energy, despite being an evil zombie, the Bakuryuuha wouldn't be able to engulf and send back his enemy's youki. Inuyasha silently complains about how this was all Naraku's fault, with his forethought and cleverness in using HUMAN ZOMBIES as a nice offensive shield. He and Bankotsu keep staring at each other over the burning rubble while Inuyasha internally curses how there's no way to end this thing in one shot. Gee, dude, thanks for the whole PAGE of explanation. Can't imagine why it might be necessary to go through all that info in a series of though-bubbles. 

It's almost as if one can sense their audience getting annoyed. 

OUTSIDE the mountain...

So you're saying this guy still hasn't taken a bath?

Kagome pulls up level with Kouga on Kirara's back, telling him she feels the presence of a Shikon shard from two different locations, at the base of the mountain and the center about halfway up. When Kouga repeats the part about two different locations in disbelief, Kagome clarifies that the one in the center of the mountain seems like a big "clump" to her. He asks if she's suggesting it's Naraku, and Kagome responds that this is probably the case, though she seems rather on the subdued side in her reaction. I can't blame her, I really would not be looking forward to meeting up with the smelly weirdo myself.

Kouga affirms that he's caught the message, loud and clear, telling Kagome to lead him in the right direction. Then he inexplicably rockets on ahead, leaving the rest of them far behind even his dust-devil. Two-Tone questions why he's going so far ahead of them when he expressed a wish to be shown the way, but Kagome doesn't really bother to note the contradiction. She urges Kirara forward at greater speed to follow Kouga, her mind on... other issues.

Fair, we ALL remember the disaster that happened when you guys split up even a little bit the last time.

We're back in the caves again with Inuyasha and Bankotsu, the latter of which is again swinging around his massive sword in a circular motion. He asks Inuyasha what his problem is, given Inuyasha hasn't followed through on his aim to destroy Bankotsu yet. Inuyasha leaps up and toward the fiery attack, much to Bankotsu's shock, kind of pushing through the top middle. Bankotsu calls him a stupid bastard for this, now wondering out loud if Inuyasha had forgotten how his ass AND sword got knocked back just a moment ago. 

Inuyasha just scoffs in response, having SHEATHED Tessaiga, his fingers clawed at his side. Bankotsu is distracted by his own bewilderment over the sword being put away. 

And with that single swipe, inuyasha was able to free two whole Shikon fragments embedded in Bankotsu's arm. Where has that bomb aim been this entire series, Inuyasha???? He's been holding out on us the whole time!

Bankotsu's sword has gone flying, and as Inuyasha lands a distance away with the Shikon shards clutched in his fist and a trail of Bankotsu's blood following him the whole way, that sword lands point first in the rock floor of the cave. Bankotsu holds up his bloodied arm, finally looking a bit sour when he calls Inuyasha a bastard. Sorry bud, but you peaked when you held up an arm that was pure bone. Coolest moment, never gonna top it. Inuyasha holds up the Shikon fragments in response, reiterating how Bankotsu DID indeed have some of them inserted into his swingin' arm, something Inuyasha had his suspicions of since Bankotsu was SO much stronger than before. Bankotsu's good-natured chuckle is back, and he calls this a fluke, and suggests that Inuyasha is just lucky. I don't know, seemed like pretty solid logic to me, but I guess Inuyasha's reasoning isn't meant to be viewed as logical. 

I bet if MIROKU said it...

As if your weapon isn't a bit out of reach now. But, knowing how many superhuman advantages RT has given these supposedly human characters, I wouldn't be surprised if he's able to just will it back to his hand with The FORCE or some shit.

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I share Inuyasha's attitude about his battle with Bankotsu; I find myself NOT very invested at all. It's strange, because this one has been building the whole arc, and I would be even MORE upset if THIS battle didn't happen than I had been when the confrontation between Bankotsu and Renkotsu hadn't happened. But the rising action doesn't appear to be accelerating at all here. RT keeps cutting away to more interesting and suspenseful character interactions, and even when she's depicting the main event, she spent an entire PAGE on Inuyasha's inner thoughts on why he couldn't just wipe this dude out with his ultimate attack. I'm almost convinced that RT HERSELF wasn't interested in developing this fight, and she struggled with filling it out appropriately. 

The funny thing is, if she wanted to push the pause button more effectively, she could have inserted some explanation for why Bankotsu, and by extension his band of mercenaries, were so much more youkai-like than they really should be. I keep waiting for some kind of background from Bankotsu about why he's ALWAYS been so strong, why he's able to hold up that universe-sized sword, perhaps why the face paint they use seems to work on WILL alone, but there's been nothing so far. If RT HAD to bring the action to a screaming halt the way she has in this chapter, I would have much preferred to hear about those things, rather than what looks like a mere excuse in the face of a demonstrably youkai-ish character that is human in name only.

I also found Miroku's assumptions about Naraku's motivations a little more annoying than I probably should have. It's becoming one of my peeves in this story when characters just HAVE critical information about what's going on without having earned it, and this is striking me as another example of that. Given the amount of planning that this whole setup had to have taken, as I've detailed before, and the sudden surprise Inuyasha's barrier-breaking move was to Naraku, it just doesn't add up that he did this in response to his loss at that time. But there was no room to question the multiple logical steps skipped in this conclusion of Miroku's, and we're meant to just accept it as a perfectly reasonable one. I mean, RT could at least have made him mention how similar this setup was to the Kodoku situation that happened earlier. Then it might have at least more supporting evidence, as opposed to Inuyasha's simple deduction being brushed off as luck so that we don't make the mistake of thinking of him as smart or something. Sheesh.

This is why I appreciate Kagura's admission that she just doesn't know what Naraku's motivation or aim is, because he doesn't tell her anything. It's not immediately confirming Miroku's suspicions, and also doesn't give her additional information that she really shouldn't have. Makes her a little better in that regard. 

But only a little.

Unrelated tangent: wishing my husband a happy 34th birthday today! I sure do love that man o' mine!

Yu-Gi-Oh Manga: 332 The Stone Slabs of the Modern World!

It does seem like the modern world has its own versions of "stone slabs" sometimes. I mean, in the United States, we already have a whole subsection of Christian culture that constantly relates everything back to a reference to the ten commandments of the Bible, but that's certainly not all. Our founding documents are rarely ever read widely, but people still reference them like they're unquestionable holy writ. I don't know if it's because our country is relatively young compared to most of the rest of the world or not, but there's a weird impulse here to legitimize any opinion/position on most public topics with the invocation of our older writings like as if they have been handed down from on high. And that's just one example of this strange behavior.

But I have a feeling that the modern slabs the chapter is referring to are going to be more positive associations than otherwise.

Honda calls to Yami to hang in there, but he calls him "Yuugi", and with Yami himself uttering a cry of Yuugi's name to our the non-pharaoh in surprise, it might get a little confusing to figure out which of these guys people are talking to for a minute. Jonouchi just tells Yami not to worry, that they'll take it from here. Yami looks up at them in a daze, mouth ajar as he considers his partner and the others standing in front of him, having come to defend him. 

Anzu kneels next to him to try and gently prop him up, repeating Honda's advice to hang in there. Yami just mumbles to her to be careful, and that Zorc is strong. At the very least, he's strongly annoying with his constant yapping. Anzu looks closely at his unfocused gaze at the ground and her assessment isn't good; he's hurt pretty badly. But she ALSO notices the cartouche that she gave him back in the museum, dangling from around his neck. That'll be AWFULLY important, I'm sure.

Yuugi and Jonouchi glare up at Zorc, the former with a grimace, but the latter grins in contrast to the sweat at his temple when he scoffs that this guy is a big one. Zorc responds with his own scoff that the pharaoh still has allies, and that they're fools to stand against him. Yuugi downright screams at Zorc that he won't let him hurt Yami anymore, referring to Yami as "the other me", a phrase that Zorc repeats back in question. It's only a moment before he figures out what this means: they're not from Egypt, not memories from 3,000 years before, but new memories made by the pharaoh since awakening in the modern world. Jonouchi yells up at him that they're not memories at all, but his real honest-to-goodness friends. Regardless of the distinction, Zorc doesn't really give a shit - he says that no matter how many of them side with Yami, they will never win the battle of memories, and will just die along with the pharaoh.

He is just DRIPPING badassery at this point. Kid is on fire!

Zorc says that in that case, Yuugi can die BEFORE the pharaoh for all he gives a shit. Whether out loud or in psychic connection, Yuugi addresses Yami to tell him that the Duel Disk held up on his arm contains the deck that Yami himself built, the one they fought all those duels together with throughout the series. Yuugi had to switch it in after removing the deck that he SPANKED asshole!Bakura with, of course. Yami stares in awe, his gaze much more focused now. Yuugi asserts that each card in their shared deck is filled with their spirit, and suggests that they fight together, which Yami agrees to wholeheartedly, probably on both counts. 

Hey man, YOU had zombie armies, it's only fair. 

Jonouchi announces that it's his turn, narrating his draw from the deck in his Duel Disk. Zorc seems kind of confused that the ka seem to be sealed in the little pieces of paper Yuugi and Jonouchi are using, wondering if these could be the stone slabs of the modern world. Congratulations Zorc! You said the title! Though, considering how much you flap your gums, it was only a matter of time...

I guess Jonouchi is taking a while to make his move, because Mahado takes a moment to fly up next to Hasan and deliver the hopeful message that they might still have a chance to defeat Zorc. Hasan appears surprised that Mahado's there - must have missed the last page for some reason. Mana's DMG flies up on Mahado's other side and asks her master if he can feel the strength of their ba, and Mahado affirms that their desire to protect the pharaoh is joining into a brilliant light around them. Indeed, Yuugi, Jonouchi, Anzu and Honda are putting out a pretty strong collective aura. 

At last, Jonouchi is ready to summon his monster, bidding Zorc to take a look at it. 

Pretty standard, but I'm not complaining.

Yami marvels at the returned Red Eyes Black Dragon. I guess it HAS been a minute since he's seen it? Meanwhile, as she stands guard over the concentrating Mana, Isis wonders who these strange people who can summon ka to protect the pharaoh are. People who were totally invisible until now, I guess. 

Zorc takes on a slightly mocking tone when he expresses surprise that those of the modern world can also summon ka, but Yuugi and Jonouchi aren't willing to let him get out another stupid word. They both command their monsters to attack, Red Eyes firing a Black Fire Bullet and Dark Magician a Magic Blast simultaneously. Zorc groans, but I'm suspicious of how genuine the distress is. Yuugi and Jonouchi are stoked at the direct hit, asking aloud if Zorc is dead yet.

Oh. Oh boys. Did you think it would be that easy?

With Mahado and Red Eyes looking on in anticipation of the results of their attack, the smoke clears from around a chuckling Zorc, who says that whatever that was won't work. 

Imagine being destroyed from a blast of dragon inferno semen, lol. Actually, I shouldn't poke fun, there are undoubtedly people who would be totally into that on the internet.

All our characters flinch and groan as the blast hits them, which is quite mild in the grand scheme. Hasan has his wrists crossed in front of him, grunting as he swears to protect the pharaoh until his strength gives out. He puts himself in front of everyone else, arms spread wide now to absorb the worst of the attack. Red Eyes Black Dragon unfortunately burns away anyway, much to Jonouchi's dismay that it happened in just one blast. Yuugi screws his eyes shut tight against the intense fire. Honda asks of his friends a frankly DISTURBING promise that they not die before him, a single line that forces me to do a double-take on his whole character. Anzu is just thinking of Yuugi while she's drawn more like a blushing love interest than a girl in genuine danger. What is with everyone making me uncomfortable right now??

Hasan calls everyone his friends as he bids them to listen, and because their eyes were mostly shut until now, there's a shout of surprise that he's shielding them, probably from Yuugi (not sure, though). Not responding to this revelation, Hasan tells them that they won't win against the strong Zorc with just cards, reminding Yuugi and company that their mission was to find the pharaoh's true name in the tomb. Jonouchi calls out that they KNOW, and they found it indeed, prompting Yami's eyes to widen, and I'm assuming there's a renewed hope in there now. He certainly doesn't look listless anymore. Jonouchi clarifies that of course the name was written in Hierglyphs and they couldn't read it, so they committed the characters to memory, BURNED in there, by his description. Hasan urges them to make the pharaoh SEE his name, as the only way to get this advantage rolling.

WHAAAAAAAAAT?????????

No Hasan, why did you have to secretly be that BAG OF DIIIIIIICKS?

On the other hand, if there is one character in this thing that definitely deserves to be dissolved by Zorc fire spooge, it's Shadi. And he's gone almost as soon as he's revealed, so I don't have to endure his garbage. Little blessings, little blessings.

Anyway, Zorc expresses his surprise to see that MOST of them, save "Hashadi", have survived his... emissions. They're still pretty exhausted and unsteady on their feet, though, groaning and not really having any snappy comebacks anymore. Jonouchi pants, gaze unfocused, but a more energetic Yuugi darts to his side, calling his name in concern. Jonouchi curses, saying that he lost an awful lot of life points when Red Eyes was destroyed. He's got just 1600 life points, but he tries to stand up a little straighter, even if he declares his realization that losing all their points in this world does mean they're done for. He quickly changes the subject to how they're going to beat this Zorc jerk, though. No need to dwell on a VERY probable death. 

Zorc tells these fools that there's NO way to defeat him, and his next attack will kill all of them, which is pretty much what ANYONE would say, bluff or no. Still, Yuugi contemplates the question of how to defeat Zorc anyway, recalling that Hashadi said the power was in Yami's real name. He's just hung up on how they're supposed to transfer such knowledge to Yami. With the ground as unstable as it is, it's not like they can draw what they saw in the tomb on the sand.

As Yami once again looks utterly exhausted and a little hopeless, Anzu once again notices that blank cartouche hanging around Yami's neck, this time having an epiphany about carving the name on it. She calls to everyone to join hands, and think real hard about what those symbols in the name looked like in the tomb. Although the boys respond with confusion at first, they quickly do what she says without question, piling their hands on top of each other directly in front of Yami. Their eyes are closed and they're concentrating HARD on that name.

Well I'll be goddamned and go to hell!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? I have a feeling that a couple of you were gleefully awaiting the moment when I discovered that Hasan was Shadi, knowing how much I LOATHE that guy. I hope the meltdown was epic enough for you, lol! I am SO mad about it, because the framing is deliberately trying to turn him into this saintly type of character with his sacrifice. I personally don't care if he sacrifices himself - this doesn't erase all of the complete douchebaggery he performed in the past, dammit! You're not convincing me he's actually good, chapter! It ain't happening!

In fact, I'm finding Shadi more confusing than endearing after this. I got the impression from the chapter where Bobasa transformed into Hasan that it only happened when the Millennium Items were all at home in the tablet. If Hasan was Shadi all along, though, how was Shadi walking around in the beginning of the manga of his own volition, imposing shadow games on poor Yuugi and friends? Are there multiples of HIM like there are multiples of Bakura? Did he use the Millennium Items to split his soul among various hosts as well? If I'm missing a piece or two of this puzzle, please do enlighten me, as I am quite bewildered. 

But the bulk of this chapter was a little heady for the characters I actually like, and I'm a little amazed at seeing a side to them that has been hidden until they are faced with literal death. It's not just Yuugi, though his sudden surge of confidence and righteousness born from his desire to snatch Yami from the brink of oblivion while staring into it himself is particularly visible. Honda's strange request that the rest of his friends not die before him, Jonouchi's sober articulation that he's lost a lot of REAL life energy and will die if hit again. The whole group standing in a huddle and focusing on their last shot at winning this thing, all knowing that if they fail, they will not come out of this alive. All of these are performed with sober dignity, children facing their own mortality without sadness or regret, because they're doing all of this to rescue a loved one, and the world by extension. From just a couple of lines and actions, the situation's weight is so much heavier, the possibility of death so much deeper in the knowledge that our characters fully understand that they are staring into the abyss. And they're doing it with some serious courage. The heroism is palpable. 

And can I just say how satisfying it is to see Anzu's gesture toward the beginning of their adventure pay off tremendously right now? Not only did it turn out to be quite a practical tool to have on hand for fulfilling their quest, but Anzu was also the one who noticed its utility in the end, because she was the one who got it for Yami. She WOULD be the one to remember that it's there and be able to suggest it as the solution to their problem, so it makes total sense to have her be the one to bring everyone together in the end to collectively manifest the name on the cartouche. I'm sure the logic of this in no small part came from their demonstrated ability to recreate Duel Disks out of thin air from memory in this "Memory World" too. It was a clever application of established rules. Anzu is on POINT right now.

This is also HIGHLY reminiscent of the time when she had them all gather their hands to draw their friendship symbol on them back in Death-T. It rhymes beautifully with the previous moment and creates an overall harmony in the story that lends some of its importance back and forth between them both. It's probably one of the most satisfying setups and payoffs that I've seen in a serialized manga like this. 

Also - no one questions Anzu in her call for everyone to get together and think real hard on those symbols. No one wastes time telling her that this is a silly thing to do. As a woman who has always been second-guessed for most suggestions I've ever made throughout my life and just generally taken less seriously, I REALLY appreciate this. Like, REALLY. 

Inuyasha Manga: 273 At the Bottom of the Corridor

I guess that answers one of the head-scratchers I had about the use of the word "corridor" a few chapters back. What I thought was a PIT was actually what was identified as a CORRIDOR, and not the path AROUND the pit/corridor. Otherwise this wouldn't make much sense - you don't generally talk about the "bottom" of a corridor as anything other than the FLOOR. I think this is a strange choice of word, but it does set the expectation that the pit will ultimately be used AS a corridor up through the mountain.

I'm also more and more reminded of that scheme Naraku had a while back where he made youkai fight and kill each other in a mountain in order for the winner to be his new body. The more I think about it, this arc is a lot like that one, except, you know... more.

The difference being, of course, that these ones are the security force and not the raw materials.

Kirara jumps out of the crook of Kagome's arm, and prompting a questioning tone from Kagome. With a burst of fire, Kirara transforms into the massive sabercat form. Still cradled on Kagome's other arm, Shippou's eyes snap open, like a switch has been flipped. He sits up and declares that he's gotten better, at the prompt from the surprised Kagome. By way of explanation, Kouga says that the barrier somehow disappeared completely from the mountain he glares up at. He clenches his teeth, adding that he can smell Naraku's funk coming from inside the mountain, as well as something else.

You sure you want to commit to that level of pettiness? Labeling someone OTHER than the guy who killed a good majority of your comrades as more of a grate on your nerves? Okay, kinda a bad look, though...

Back inside the mountain, Inuyasha and Bankotsu face each other in the quaking cave passage. Inuyasha accuses Bankotsu of planning to get in his way, and Bankotsu admits to it upfront. He says he's taking this opportunity to seek revenge for all the rest of his band of mercenaries, who all died in battle. Except for Renkotsu, who died a sniveling whiner. But Bankotsu's not going to talk about that, or much of anything that would probably delay his new fight too terribly long. Inuyasha is of the same impatient disposition, and takes a short time to scoff that he's only engaging with Bankotsu now since it's obvious he's not getting to Naraku unless he beats Bankotsu first. With an invitation to get on with it, Inuyasha swings down Tessaiga and lets loose a Kaze no Kizu. 

As the blast travels to him, Bankotsu calls Inuyasha a fool, and also Kaze no Kizu a "little thing".

There doesn't seem to be a lot that has any effect on you, frankly.

A big gust is generated by a wave of Bankotsu's halberd, something Inuyasha identifies as a "scorching wind" in disbelief. Not sure if this is colliding with Inuyasha's Kaze no Kizu (how SLOW is that attack???) or if it's coming up against something else altogether, but it sure hits something and causes a big-ass explosion.

So it's confirmed that Kaze no Kizu was REALLY crawling then. Weird.

Inuyasha recalls the time at Hijiri Island where Bankotsu also cut down the Kaze no Kizu, but there's some concern about Bankotsu having gained some power since then. Inuyasha accuses that bastard of using the Shikon shards from his dead friends, and Bankotsu admits to using them all openly, as a memento of the others. No shame about it whatsoever. 

Clearly not, otherwise he wouldn't just be breaking even in this fight. 

Inuyasha fires off another Kaze no Kizu, which just produces more flaming debris when it collides with Bankotsu's attack. He's getting more and more frustrated, groaning internally that he doesn't have time to play. Is this enjoyable enough to be called "play", because from where I'm sitting, it just looks like a traffic jam. Inuyasha jumps up and through the remaining dust cloud from the two attacks meeting, surprising Bankotsu. 

But the element of surprise doesn't offer much in the form of results. As Inuyasha swings down with Tessaiga, leaning into gravity, Bankotsu meets the blow with his galaxy-sized sword and shoves Inuyasha back with a single-handed swipe to the left. 

Maybe the shards are giving Bankotsu "plenty" of power after all.

Bankotsu sarcastically asks Inuyasha what's wrong, because he's not putting up much resistance. It's a fair question, since he wasn't there to see the incident of massive blood loss Jakotsu caused just a little while ago. Inuyasha leaps to the side just before Bankotsu cleaves his sword right into the side of the cave passage, crumbling the wall. He turns to Inuyasha and says how it's strange the hanyou might have been this weak all along, then shifts gears to speculate that maybe HE'S actually gotten a lot stronger instead, smirking. 

Inuyasha scoffs at him to get real, throwing back at Bankotsu the question if this is really the best he can manage with the Shikon shards. Ah, the ol' "I'm not weak, YOU'RE weak" reframe. Masterful work, Inuyasha. Bankotsu says that Inuyasha has a comeback for everything, and charges at him, yelling that he can only say those sorts of things AFTER he's defeated his enemy. Inuyasha charges too, promising to rip all the Shikon fragments out of Bankotsu's body and telling him to prepare to die. 

Look what you did now, Miroku.

Miroku shouts that SOMEHOW it seems that the whole holy barrier has completely fallen. Gee, I wonder how THAT happened... He says that evil energy is flooding the place, and Sango asks if it's Naraku's. Miroku confirms this, but it's more than that. He trails off in this assessment, but continues on in the thought that the evil has increased since earlier (presumably referring to that they encountered in the center of the mountain, though this isn't quite clear), and in fact the energy that he identifies as youki is continuing to increase as the moments tick by. 

Miroku and Sango eventually run out of a cave back onto the walkway lining the pit in the center of the mountain, that Sango remembers they were in earlier. There's regular pulses coming from the depths of the pit, and when Miroku and Sango peer curiously into it over the side of the railing, a small pinprick of a figure emerges out of the darkness after a few more pulses. Both our heroes are quite alarmed by the image they see in the dark.

Woah! That is the shit of nightmares right there!

So, what did I think of this chapter overall? The battle between Inuyasha and Bankotsu is quite weirdly paced - time doesn't seem to work right at a certain point, just to give Bankotsu a few extra seconds to blabber a little. This is in service to emphasizing how much stronger Bankotsu is with all of these Shikon shards on him and his sword, without leaning too terribly much on the fact that Inuyasha really SHOULDN'T be at full power himself at the moment. My guess is that Inuyasha is ignoring that HIMSELF at the moment, and even if he did acknowledge his massive blood loss and trauma not too long ago, he's certainly not going to admit this to an enemy. Still, I should have liked to see Inuyasha THINKING about his less-than-optimal functioning here, and how it's impeding his ability to fight. If we're going to slow down his attacks, we should be giving HIM more room to remind us why he's not doing so well, and not using those extra seconds to give his opponent time to brag. 

With Bankotsu drawing so much attention to how much stronger he's gotten, I'm also reminded how strong he was to begin with. I hope in the next couple of chapters that we get an explanation as to how he has always been able to wield with ease a weapon that the people who took it from him needed SEVERAL grown men to even lift. Even before he had the assistance of the Shikon shards, he's been just swinging that ridiculous thing about with little care, and this is only ONE of the reasons why the audience might need to be reminded that Bankotsu and his band were SUPPOSED to be human all along. I can't quite recall if there was ever an explanation for this particular ability of his, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

But, knowing RT's habit of just NOT providing crucial details, especially toward the end of arcs...

All the same, I do really appreciate Naraku's face and nothing else looming up out of a dark pit. That's scarier than anything shown in this arc so far, and it literally gave me chills. Dude is so CREEPY.